DS is 13 weeks old (8 weeks corrected premmie) and I'm still muddling through at finding a bedtime routine. Whilst we don't strictly follow EASY, he's basically put himself on a 4 hour EASY. The last week or so he's refused a catnap after 4 p.m. so I've been stretching him out till a bedtime of 6 p.m. By this time he's a bit ratty. Ideally I'd like a later bedtime but like I said, I can't get him to catnap in the afternoon. He's a good self-settler for all his day naps (touch wood) but I really need help tweaking the night routine. Tonight, for example, was not pleasant
I did manage to get him to have an afternoon catnap at 4.30 p.m. today, when he started getting really grizzly (one hour after waking). He then woke at 5.30 p.m. We had quiet play after waking, bath/massage at 6 p.m. and into nursery at 6.30 p.m. to feed. I offered him the bottle (he is formula fed since 3 weeks ago) and he screamed blue murder. I tried several times and he just got more worked up. He was thrashing around and beating my chest, squirming away from me. It was a real performance! He didn't want to be held, patted or soothed so I put him down in his cot, with a little pat on the back and stroke of his head, which is what I normally do for day naps before walking out. For day naps he always has a little wind-down cry but is usually asleep within a couple of minutes. He is not a baby that likes much interference when he's ready for sleep, just wants to get on with it himself. Tonight he continued to scream, so I went back in at the 5 minute mark, got him out of his cot, sat in the rocking chair and offered him the bottle again. He immediately calmed down and drank the whole 160 ml. Gave him a little burp and put him back into his cot awake, but didn't hear another peep from him! Go figure! So why wouldn't he take the bottle five minutes beforehand???
My long-winded question is that I'd really like to avoid nights like tonight and would like some predicatability to our night routine. I thought today with the catnap that he'd be a champion going down, but not so. I have tried feeding on waking from afternoon nap and sometimes he's interested, sometimes not. I have tried a top-up right before bed and sometimes he'll take it, sometimes not. When he doesn't want it, he screams blue murder. He's definitely not one of those babes that will just clamp his mouth shut and refuse the bottle....he gets very distressed. He is a silent reflux bub but we have that under control with Zantac now. I have tried earlier bath times, later bath times, quiet play, active play to let off steam - I think I've tried everything! I am a big routine girl and it's doing my head in that I don't know how to "read" him. He is my 2nd boy (#1 DS is 22 months old) and I
still don't know his cries, whether hunger or tiredness.
I will post how our day went today. We don't have a rigid routine per se, it is all dependent on what time he wakes in the a.m., but he generally feeds 4 hourly and his awake time is still only an hour before he goes down for a nap. He is having three good naps a day, and a catnap is hit or miss. Like I said, he is a really good self-settler. We also weaned from the dummy a week ago since he was having trouble holding it in his mouth and we had to keep going in to replace it...grrr! So this was today:
E - 8.30 a.m.
A - 9 - 9.30
(usually in bed an hour later but had to visit the clinic so was later putting him down)
S - 10 (2.5 hours)
E - 12.30
A - 1 - 1.30
S - 1.30 (2 hours)
E - 3.30 (only took 60 ml)
A - 4 - 4.30
S - 4.30 (catnap)
Woke at 5.30 and didn't offer feed because he only last ate 2 hours beforehand. (Perhaps I should have, in hindsight?) Bath and massage at 6 p.m. and then tried bottle feed at 6.30, with above consequences. Last night he was down at 6 p.m., woke at 11 for a feed and then again for a feed at 4.30 this morning. We always put him straight back into his cot after night feeds and he settles straight away. He is never fed to sleep.
Any ideas?? And advice would be greatly appreciated! Please help!
